Parker's First Sleep-Away Camp

Parker attended his very first sleep-away camp with the Bethany Presbyterian Middle School Youth Group. They spent four nights at Miracle Ranch in Port Orchard and Parker was a mix of nervous and excited when he was dropped off. Even though he was a bit homesick he had a great time making deeper connections with friends, leaders, and Jesus. And this was the scene upon his return home - reunited!

Monroe's T-Ball Pictures

Conway's Baseball Pictures

The Last Day of School

Maybe it's because we were just so thankful for the kids to be back in school this year and it was always in the back of our minds that at any moment we might have to switch back to virtual learning, but I think we're all a bit sad that the school year is over. Certainly, we're excited for summer adventures, but this year held a whole new kind of gratitude for our friends, our teachers, and the Coe community as a whole. It was particularly hard for Parker to walk out of the building on the last day of school, his last as a student there. But we wiped away our tears and headed to Ken's Market for our customary last day of school ice cream treats. And now the Totten household has a first grader, a third grader, and a sixth grader!

{Monroe and Ward, his best buddy}

{Conway and Jordyn, one of his best friends}

{Parker and Kate, his Kindergarten reading buddy}

P.S. The School Year Begins for Parker & Conway, Monroe Starts Kindergarten 

Parker's 5th Grade Graduation

{Then & Now}

{Ms. Fernandi - Fifth Grade Teacher}

{Ms. Goodin - Kindergarten Teacher}

P.S. Parker Starts Kindergarten, So Long Kindergarten 

Coe Class Pictures

Little League Day with the Mariners

P.S. Little League Day with the Mariners 2019 

Monroe's 6th Birthday Party

P.S. Monroe's 5th Birthday Party

Monroe Turns Six!

Monroe at 6 Years Old

Height: 47.24 in (81%)

Weight: 52lb (80%)

BMI: 16.4 (76%)

Monroe is six years old, and he is a hoot! He had an amazing year in kindergarten and his teacher, Ms. Waterman, had so many nice things to say about Monroe...we believe most of it. It was so fun for Monroe to be at Coe with his two big brothers. It was pretty cool for him to be the kindergartener who so many of Parker's "big" fifth grade friends would say hi to - a bit like celebrity status. And here's a little more about six-year-old Monroe. He...

• still has high highs and low lows. He can go from the happiest kid on the planet to sprawled out on the floor in the biggest fit in about half a second for reasons that often evade the rest of us.
• loves pretty much anything involving a ball.
• can play a make-believe game of basketball/football/soccer/baseball all by himself for an incredible length of time. The teams often don't make sense to anyone except him, which makes it even more fun to watch. 
• still yells, "Stop it, Conway/Parker!" a lot. We're still working on being more specific and asking a kind question rather than just yelling. He'll get it any day now. 
• loves his brothers intensely but does not love to be told what to do by them. He also apparently doesn't like for them to look at him, which is hard to steer clear of completely. 
• still loves to read. He got tired of Magic Tree House books about half-way through the series and has moved on to Stick Cat, Stick Dog, Puppy Place. He also still loves The Berenstein Bears.
• still loves a whole array of stuffies. His favorites are Kodi the bear, Cyber the tiger, Tigey the tiger, Begger the penguin, and Rainbow. He doesn't like to sleep with them, but they are often involved in his make-believe play or just watching him do something. 
• still kicks and writes as a lefty and throws and swings righty.
• lists French toast, waffles, cheesy scrambled eggs, and nachos as his favorite foods. Monroe's least favorite foods are onions, avocado, shrimp, and salmon.
• is a good sleeper. He still has a short quiet time after school, in which he reads and plays quietly in his room. He only very rarely falls asleep then, though. 
• very physical. He basically cannot play a sport with his brothers or even his friends without putting his hands on them or tackling. He seems to do okay in organized sports with kids he doesn't know, though, so that's good.
• has some pretty fun/funny facial expressions. Hard to describe them here, but Monroe continues to be very expressive. 
• gives amazing hugs and snuggles. They don't last long, but they're the sweetest.

P.S. Monroe Turns Five, Conway Turns Six, Parker Turns Six